Review:

Redoubt Enterprises

25mm Napoleonic
Peninsular and Waterloo

Reviewed by David Barnes


I have been sent 107 British Infantry to review (I don't see any Scots). I will list them and comment on some of them.

Redoubts earliest releases were Napoleonic Peninsular figures, if I remember correctly, and it seems they have decided to create more diverse characters and poses plus tattered uniforms and misshapen shakoes to give the "campaign look". Also there are numerous head and shako variants to give even more variety. A different designer to the first set.

British Line Infantry

Ordinary numbers have the stovepipe shako, figures with a 'b' after the number have a Belgic shako.

BR1 Line infantry advancing. Musket at 45°.
BR1b Ditto.
BR2 Line infantry in campaign wear, advancing. One floppy epaulette, battered shako, trousers tucked into socks. Musket held across body.
BR2b Ditto. Shouting.
BR3 Line infantry advancing. Level musket. Gaunt face, purposeful.
BR3b Ditto. Looking higher to his front.
BR4 Line infantry campaign wear, level musket. Bullet hole straight through the top of his shako. Grim face.
BR4b Ditto.
BR5 Line infantry charging, musket held up.
BR5b Ditto. Not sent: but another BR5 different expression and head up at different angle.
BR6 Line infantry advancing, musket at high port.
BR6b Ditto. Vigorous and detailed figure.
BR7 Line infantry on guard. Listening to the order "Ready!"
BR7b Ditto. Amazing how different this looks with a different hat and tilt of the head.
BR8 Line infantry standing firing. A good "in the shoulder" position.
BR8b Ditto.
BR9 Line infantry in campaign wear standing firing. Stovepipe of bareheaded. A very battered stovepipe.
BR9b Ditto bareheaded or cap. This one's bareheaded. Right shoe wrapped in rags.
BR10 Line infantry kneeling at the ready.
BR10b Ditto. Could be the front line of a square.
BR11 Line infantry attack march, pack. Very sturdy figure - needs to be with all that kit!
BR11b Ditto
BR12 Line infantry loading/priming. Could be cocking the lock from his hand position.
BR12b Ditto.
BR13 Line infantry advancing, greatcoat, covered shako. Caped greatcoat. Good for either campaign - snow in Spain, pouring rain at Waterloo.
BR14 Dead line infantry with musket. Evidently dropped the musket and then collapsed backwards. Knees bent, right more than left. A "goner."

Flank Company Infantry

Grenadier or Light of Line Battalions.
BR15 Advancing. These have the shoulder wings of the flankers. Musket levelled.
BR15b Ditto.
BR16 Charging. Yelling!
BR16b Ditto. Grim grimace.
BR17 Standing firing.
BR17b Ditto. Good front knee bent positions.

Officers, Ensigns, Sergeants and Musicians of the line.


BR18 Line officer standing with drawn sword, turned up trousers, battered stovepipe shako. Bullet holed actually. Floppy neck cloth, sash, one epaulette.
BR19 Line officer advancing sword on shoulder, Belgic shako. His overalls clipped beneath his instep.
BR20 Line officer standing sword drawn, stovepipe, boots. Must have pinched a dragoon's boots. Two epaulettes and a clubbed queue.
BR21 Line officer in greatcoat, covered shako, sword drawn. Turned up trousers. Holding the hilt in his right hand and blade in his left. Collar turned up.
BR22 Line officer advancing sword drawn, bicorne. One epaulette, breeches, long woolly sox, splatter-dashes. Gaunt face - an old lieutenant.
BR23 Line officer, pistol, bicorne. Water bottle on right hip, sword drawn. Short barrelled pocket pistol. Leathered trousers.
BR24 Ensign standing, holding standard, wearing stovepipe. Well modelled flag draped over his shoulder.
BR24b Ditto. Belgic shako.
BR25 Ensign advancing with standard pole (supply own fly) wearing stovepipe. Standard pole a bit long - take care.
BR25b Ditto. Belgic.
BR26 Ditto. Bicorne.
BR27 Line sergeant with half pike, stovepipe, pointing. "That way! You Bs!"
BR27b Ditto, Belgic.
BR28 Line drummer advancing, stovepipe.
BR28b Ditto. Belgic. Lots of lace. Both need their rather lumpy sword scabbards filing down.
BR29 Line drummer boy standing, bearskin cap. More good detail.
BR30 Fifer in stovepipe playing fife. File case on his right hip.
BR30b Ditto. Belgic. Better head position than plain number.

Light Infantry

Troops trained to fight in line or in loose skirmishing formation. Usually in more active and aggressive poses than the light troops.

[I was in the old 53rd/85th - i.e. 4th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry for a time] Bligny day is 6th June.
BR31 Advancing, stovepipe.
BR32 Advancing, high port, stovepipe. (All these guys have LI "wings" on their shoulders and "bugle horn" badges on their caps.)
BR33 Charging, campaign wear, stovepipe. He's looking right - have they all run away?
BR34 Running. Stovepipe. Separate right arm carrying bayoneted musket in right hand. A great action pose, he's really moving!
BR35 Standing firing, stovepipe.
BR36 Advancing firing, stovepipe. Gotcha!
BR37 Kneeling firing. Either regarding the effect or gauging the range I would have said.
BR38 Advancing, campaign wear. Stovepipe. His ears kept warm by a type of balaclava helmet.
BR39 Standing firing, campaign wear. Good position.
BR40 Officer blowing whistle, stovepipe shako. He's actually wearing the type of mirliton which LI officers "borrowed" along with sabres from the hussars. Drawn sabre in his right hand, point grounded.
BR41 Officer waving sword with shako on the end. Looks a bit like the LI captain who helped Sharpe occasionally.
BR42 Sergeant with fusil. Stovepipe. The weapon looks more like a screw Ferguson rifle.
BR43 Bugler playing bugle. Stovepipe. Slung musket.

Rifles - 60th and 95th Foot.

Famous sharpshooters - one of the 95th Regiment's sayings, "First into battle and the last out of it - the Bloody Fighting 95th!!", and they weren't using blasphemy. They had no colours, they wore an almost black green uniform and were expert shots with their Baker rifles, which far out-ranged the French or their compatriots muskets. They learned to use every scrap of cover and load lying down. They also had to learn a system of orders relayed on their officers' whistles. The only other clean thing about them were their rifles. [Read "Death to the French", an excellent novel by CS Forester (of Hornblower fame) about a rifleman cut off from his unit and his struggles in the Peninsula to be reunited with them.]
BR50 Advancing, rifle at 45°, sword bayonet at his left. These had brass hilts. The Rifles use the order "Fix Swords!" (not bayonets) to this day. The trap in the butt of his rifle can be clearly seen.
BR51 Advancing, campaign wear, cap. Rifleman 'Arris perhaps? Great detail.
BR52 Running. Rifle on separate arm. Really cracking detail and excellent action pose.
BR53 Charging. Sword fixed, intent on taking out whoever of the enemy who is unfortunate to be in front of him.
BR54 Charging, campaign wear, cap. Shouting, mirliton style cap - rifle swordless, so he may be skipping towards better cover rather than charging as such.
BR55 Standing on guard. Slightly crouched, looking intently forward, rifle ready.
BR56 Standing firing. Wearing splatter dashes, aiming high.
BR57 Advancing firing, campaign wear, cap. Taking a snap shot, unusual in the KRRC. "Bloody well aim!" being the usual cry of the Musketry Instructor - an easily recognisable species with 3 chevron markings surmounted by an 'S' and crossed rifles (signifies "Sgt. Sniper" in the UK Land forces).
BR58 Kneeling firing. "Hull down" behind a rock perhaps.
BR59 Dead rifleman, cap. Patched trousers, rifle dropped across his left thigh. Arm outflung, right hand on chest. A good marker for shaken units - so not in use very often with this élite hard-bitten lot.
BR60 Officer, pelisse over shoulder, blowing whistle. Mirliton style headgear, leather reinforced trousers, frogging all over his tunic and woolly pelisse over his left shoulder. The sight of him was enough to make French Voltigeurs think twice about skirmishing!
BR61 Bugler carrying rifle, blowing bugle. Rifle slung actually. A silver bugle usually. Splatterdashes.

Two "Heroic" figures from the PX range


PX15 "Captain Sharpe", with sword and pistol. Sean Bean, swashing his buckle with a pronounced N. English accent. Straight sword and short barrelled pistol. Knife on his left hip behind his sword scabbard. Looks like Sean Bean actually.
PX16 "Sergeant Harper". Advancing and firing volley gun. Also looks like the actor who portrays the Sgt on TV. The volley gun was produced for the Royal Navy with seven barrels - for clearing quarter-decks or to assist boarding parties. Only a couple of hundred were ever made. The figure actually doesn't have his finger on the trigger.

Now finally Fusiliers

Line troops in bearskins were issued with a lighter type of musket called a fusil. Thought of themselves as élite troops. The rest of the infantry often called them the "Few silliers".)
BR70 Advancing, musket at 45 degrees. Wings on shoulders and peaked bearskin.
BR71 Advancing, level musket, bearskin. One can see the flaming grenade badge on the front of his bearskin.
BR72 Advancing, musket level across body, bearskin.
BR73 Officer, advancing, bearskin. Sword across body in both hands. Queued hair.
BR74 Sergeant, half pike, bearskin. Gesturing forward, looking right, pike upright.
BR75 Drummer in bearskin. Marching forward playing. Drum apron, short musicians' sword on his left hip.
BR76 Standard bearer, advancing with standard pole, bearskin. Queued hair, one fringed epaulette, sash. Provide your own fly. I use wine bottle-top cork covers if I can get them. Lots of lovely paper printed flags on the market of course.

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